Vibrations of the S-S bond in elemental sulfur and organic polysulfides: a structural guide

This review summarizes and analyzes in comparative manner the S-S bond vibrations in IR and Raman spectra of elemental sulfur and organosulfur compounds containing disulfide and polysulfide moieties. It is intentionally biased toward application of the experimental S-S bond frequencies for structural elucidation of sulfur compounds. It was shown that the S-S bond frequencies are a useful tool for identification of the elemental sulfur modifications, organic disufides and polysulfides. Particular attention is paid to the correlation between the S-S bond frequencies and the molecular structure.